This invention relates to a method of and an apparatus for separating the white or albumen from the yolk of an egg by using a separating cup which receives the contents of an egg from an egg breaking assembly for breaking the egg-shell of the egg.
Conventional automatic egg breaking apparatuses are, for example, disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,321,864 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,137,838, in each of which there is provided a movable endless conveyor which has a plurality of egg breaking assemblies for breaking egg-shells and a plurality of separating cups each forming a pair with a corresponding one of the assemblies. Each egg is held by a corresponding assembly and the contents of the egg broken by the assembly drop into a corresponding separating cup. Each separating cup has an arcuate escape opening for causing the white of the egg to overflow, leaving the yolk in the cup. The overflowed white is received by an albumen bowl located under the separating cup. The separated yolk and white are recovered separately into respective recovery tanks.
Each separating cup remains horizontally when it receives the contents of a broken egg and is inclined toward the recovery tank when only the yolk is recovered. That is, each separating cup is so supported on the moving endless conveyor as to take only two positions for receiving the contents of an egg and recovering the yolk left in the separating cup.
However, in case wherein an egg to be processed is fresh, its white cannot be easily separated from its yolk. In case wherein the yolk of an egg to be processed is small, the white cannot easily overflow beyond the escape opening of the separating cup because the upper face of the yolk accommodated in the bottom portion of the cup lies in a relatively lower position with respect to the escape opening. In these cases, a part of the white is apt to be left in the separating cup with the yolk. Accordingly, the white-yolk separation ability of the cup is reduced, so that the yolk mixed with the white is recovered.
In case wherein an egg to be processed is not fresh or stale, the yolk is apt to flow out of the escape opening together with the white because of its high liquidity or fluidity. Furthermore, in case wherein the yolk of an egg to be processed is bigger than normal one, a part of the yolk is likely to overflow the escape opening. This results in the reduction of recovery rate of the yolk.
In addition, as the escape opening of each conventional separating cup is arcuately formed, the white suspended from the escape opening cannot be cut sharply or clearly when the white has completely overflowed. This may cause the white suspended from the opening to bring a part of the yolk out of the separating cup together therewith.
These defects much influence adversely the separation ability for an egg breaking apparatus, especially when it is operated at a high speed. At present, there has been proposed a high speed egg breaking apparatus which can break approximately 600 eggs per minute. This kind of egg breaking apparatus especially requires a separating cup having a high separation ability.